General Information

St. Bonaventure University, a Catholic university in the Franciscan tradition, is an independent, co-educational institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs.

The St. Bonaventure campus in southwestern New York is spread over 500 acres in a valley surrounded by the Allegheny foothills on Route 417 between Olean and Allegany and about two miles from Exit 24 of the Southern Tier Expressway, I-86.  The University is accessible by car, bus and commercial airlines, which land in Buffalo and nearby Bradford, Pa.  The mailing address is 3261 W. State Road, St. Bonaventure, N.Y. 14778.

History

St. Bonaventure University was founded through the initiative and dedicated efforts of Nicholas Devereux, a large landholder and financier from Utica, N.Y., with the cooperation and support of John Timon, Bishop of Buffalo, and members of the Franciscan Order.  Their dream has flourished, and St. Bonaventure University has expanded greatly during more than 150 years of existence.  In 1854, the two promoters persuaded a group of friars from Italy to venture to America and establish a Catholic college and seminary in Western New York. Principal among these Franciscans was Fr. Pamphilus da Magliano, who later became the college’s first president.

On Oct. 4, 1858, the Feast of St. Francis, the formal dedication of the new school was held on the tract of land donated by Devereux.  It was then that the college was named after St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, the Patron of Franciscan Studies and Learning. St. Bonaventure College held its first Commencement Exercise in June 1860, graduating a class of 15 students.  Since then the university has grown to more than 2,000 students.

The college was provisionally chartered on March 1, 1875, by an Act of the Regents of the State of New York, “For the instruction in the learned languages and in the liberal and useful arts and sciences.”  In the 1920s the college developed a full-time graduate program, which has continually expanded since that time.  Early in this century St. Bonaventure also became home to the School of Franciscan Studies and the Franciscan Institute.  The permanent Charter of Incorporation of the college was granted by the state of New York in 1883, and in 1950, after nearly a century of operation, St. Bonaventure was named a university by the Board of Regents.

Mission and Vision

St. Bonaventure is a Catholic university dedicated to educational excellence as informed by our Franciscan and liberal arts traditions. In the words of our patron, we believe that there should be “no knowledge without love,” and thus seek to transform the lives of our students, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship.

St. Bonaventure embraces students, faculty and staff of all faiths and cultures and strives to bring out the best in every individual through meaningful relationships. As an academic and spiritual community, we endeavor to prepare our students for the challenges they will face in their professional careers and personal lives.

Values Statement

Our Franciscan COMMUNITY affirms the unique dignity of everyone, each person reflecting the goodness of God, and invites all of our sisters and brothers to forge bonds of mutual acceptance and understanding that create a true sense of belonging.

We are a COMMUNITY …

• Nurturing COMPASSION.
• Seeking WISDOM.
• Building INTEGRITY.

COMPASSION: We are convinced that all of creation is God’s gift, an awareness that calls forth a sense of solidarity with everyone and everything. As images of God, we strive to share God’s unconditional love, particularly with those on the margins of society — the needy, the ignored, and the excluded.
WISDOM: We are convinced that education must be transformative of the whole person, concerned not only with the intellect, but also with the will, the heart, and the body. Education must be eminently practical, not just about learning concepts and skills, but discerning how to truly live humanly, deeply, and well in the world.
INTEGRITY: We are convinced that each of us must accept responsibility for our actions and that our relationships should be based on respect for the dignity of others, honesty, and transparency, realizing that the values we espouse mean little unless they are embodied in our personal and professional lives.

Graduate Studies Mission

The School of Graduate Studies is committed to advancing the Mission, Values and Vision of St. Bonaventure University as they relate to graduate studies.  This commitment is embraced in the academic and spiritual context of the university and is inclusive of programs, faculty, students and support staff.

Goals

• Offer graduate degrees and non-degree programs and courses that are challenging, rewarding, accessible and contemporary.
• Recruit and retain quality faculty.
• Recruit quality students.
• Achieve excellence in graduate programs.
• Pursue distinction of graduate programs.
• Contribute to the general body of knowledge through faculty and student scholarship.
• Encourage participation of all qualified individuals - students, faculty or staff — in the graduate studies environment.

Academic Structure

Under the leadership of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council, the School of Graduate Studies oversees the administration and standards of all graduate study offered by the graduate faculty.  This oversight includes all aspects of graduate student admission and enrollment.  Graduate classes are taught primarily by full-time St. Bonaventure University faculty.

School of Arts and Science

Our online Master of Science in Cybersecurity will prepare you to protect businesses and individuals from malicious cyberattacks and data theft. Through a cutting-edge curriculum and highly interactive learning led by expert faculty, you’ll develop the specific technical and soft skills required of today’s cybersecurity professionals.

School of Business

Through its graduate programs, the School of Business strives to provide students with:

• the theoretical base, tools, and techniques that will enable them to pursue successful careers as leaders and decision makers in business, government, and nonprofit organizations;
• a curriculum that enables them to develop moral and ethical values with respect for all persons, oral and written communication skills, state-of-the-art technological skills, a global perspective; and
• abundant opportunities for interaction with a faculty who have a blend of academic and professional experiences.

Master of Business Administration:  The M.B.A. program is offered in three formats: part time, full time, and online.  The part-time and full-time formats are offered on the University’s Main Campus.  In the online format, the Master of Business Administration program uses a seven-week term format, with two terms in each semester.  Students in the graduate MBA program can choose among tracks in accounting, finance, marketing, and general management.

School of Education

The School of Education is dedicated to furthering the mission of the university and to incorporating Franciscan culture and values into the preparation of expert educators for the 21st century.  It provides a deep, broad, and inclusive professional preparation with a strong academic core.  The School, through structured experiences, mentoring, and attention to individual learner needs and goals, seeks to prepare educators who can connect their Franciscan culture and academic and professional curricula to learners and learning communities of the future.

Operating within a conceptual framework of “Education@SBU: A Journey to Excellence” with an emphasis on Competence, Experience, and Social Justice, all professional preparation programs  foster inquiry, reflection, strong collegial relationships, leadership in the change process, and dedication to lifelong learning. Graduate programs in the School of Education emphasize strong research and information-gathering skills, integrated use of technology for both teaching and learning, and practical application of theory and research.  For all school-practitioner graduate degrees in the School of Education, students are expected to complete two courses (six credit hours) in a common graduate core designed to support and enhance graduate-level study in the education professions.

School of Health Professions

Jandoli School Communication

The School of Communication offers the Master of Arts degree in Communication, Digital Journalism, Leadership, and Sports Journalism.  All are available as fully online programs.  

St. Bonaventure University Campus

The St. Bonaventure campus is a blend of traditional Florentine and modern brick buildings, including science laboratories, computer facilities, art galleries, a recital hall, theater, band and choral classrooms, art studios, a sports arena, swimming pool, classroom buildings, modern languages and journalism laboratories, a library with a resource center, and residence halls and apartments for men and women. The campus also contains a friary for the community’s Franciscan friars.

Science laboratories include facilities for instruction and research in a variety of fields, including computer science, physics, biology, microbiology, psychology, environmental studies, chemistry and mathematics. Among the facilities are an observatory, biotechnology laboratory, tissue culture laboratory, equipment for research in the growth of microorganisms, plants and an extensive mammal collection. (See De La Roche Hall and Walsh Science Center)

McGinley-Carney Center for Franciscan Ministry is the campus’ newest building, opened in 2017, houses the offices of University Ministries, the Franciscan Center for Social Concern, and Mt. Irenaeus.  It includes an interdenominational prayer tower, kitchen facilities and the Fr. Silas Rooney Great Room, honoring one of the university’s legendary friars.

Technology Services provides technology support to all members of the campus community.  Our computing facilities include general use computer labs, academic department computer labs, campus-wide WiFi coverage, the MySBU campus portal and our Moodle learning management system.

Friedsam Memorial Library has built, and continues to build, a strong traditional collection of materials (over 250,000 books, 1,300 periodical subscriptions and 60,000 bound periodical volumes), along with developing access to electronic source.  The library seeks not only to support university instruction with appropriate materials and access, but also to foster independent investigation and research by the university community.

The library maintains a reference department to assist patrons in using its collections and developing research strategies.  An Ask Us 24/7 service is available where you can chat online with a qualified librarian who can assist you with many aspects of using the library, and an interlibrary loan service is available to obtain materials from other institutions.

Both reference and interlibrary loan services are available via e-mail or telephone. Many of the library’s electronic resources and services are available on its web page (http://www.sbu.edu/friedsam).

The library also has collections of unique resources that are of national and international importance.  In its coverage of the Franciscan movement the Franciscan Institute Library is unmatched in the western hemisphere and can be equaled by only a few European libraries. The Rare Book Collection contains nearly 10,000 items, including late medieval manuscripts and early printed books.

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is the home of the University’s Art Collection, which includes works of the Old Masters, Chinese porcelains, early American and contemporary artists, and art from the Mayan and Indian cultures.  Additional facilities include the Rigas Family Theater.  Music, theater and visual arts instructional spaces and galleries presenting the University Art Collection, national touring artists and student work are also housed in the Center. The F. Donald Kenney Museum and Art Study Wing includes two galleries, a lithograph study room and support spaces.   The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts also houses offices and instructional spaces for the visual and performing arts programs.

The Sandra A. and William L. Richter Center, a recreation facility that opened in fall 2004, houses three basketball courts, a weight room, two racquetball/squash courts, cardio area, jogging/walking track, locker rooms, equipment checkout, climbing wall and multi-purpose aerobics room.  The center is 45,000 sq. ft., with a large central atrium and two floors.

The Administration Building houses the offices of the president, provost and vice president for academic affairs, admissions, business, financial aid, registrar's office, student accounts,  institutional research, and purchasing.

Francis Hall is the home to the DePerro School of Health Professions.  Located on the east side of campus, Francis Hall provides a unique living experience for students. The hall houses upperclassmen and graduate students in single occupancy rooms. In January of 2021, Francis Hall saw the completion of a $17.5 million dollar renovation project in the academic areas of the hall, including Freshens Café, a dining facility open to the entire campus.

The Reilly Center is St. Bonaventure’s largest building, providing a sports arena (Bob Lanier Court) seating 5,480 spectators, the Athletic Hall of Fame, a swimming pool and other athletic facilities,  The Damietta Center, WSBU radio, lounges, snack bar, Career and Professional Development Center, Post Office, University Bookstore, ROTC offices, classrooms, counseling services and other offices.  The Counseling Services section of the Center for Student Wellness offers individual and group counseling sessions. The counselors hold NYS licenses to practice as mental health counselors.

The John J. Murphy Professional Building is home to the Jandoli School of Communication and School of Franciscan Studies.  It contains the 400-seat Dresser Auditorium, lecture classrooms, specialty classrooms, and dean and faculty offices.  It also includes a broadcast journalism lab and television studio.

The William E. and Ann L. Swan Business Center opened in 2013 and is home to the School of Business.  It features a financial services lab with electronic ticker tape, a corporate boardroom, state-of-the-art classrooms, break-out areas, spaces for student collaboration, team building, and faculty research, a dean’s suite, innovative technology uses, and a serious commitment to sustainability.

The Remote Broadcast Facility is the Jandoli School of Communication’s network-level sports production facility. It can be used to broadcast live sports telecasts of A-10 basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse etc., plus studio shows about sports and public affairs.

Butler Memorial Hall houses the theater shop, theater faculty offices, the theater voice and movement lab, the adjunct music instructors’ office and studio, and a gym used primarily for intramural athletics and practices.

Plassmann Hall and Annex house the offices of most of the arts faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education and the Student Success Center.  It contains classrooms, offices, seminar rooms, a clinic room and a modern language laboratory.  First-Year Programs, the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Tutoring and Academic Support, Accessibility Services and the office of International Student Services are all housed within the Student Success Center.

De La Roche Hall, which received a $3 million upgrade in 2008, houses the science program, which includes modern laboratories for the chemistry, biology, physics, psychology, and mathematics departments. The $13 million William F. Walsh Science Center, a 46,500-square-foot facility, adjoins De La Roche and opened in 2008. It houses state-of-the-art computer science department, laboratory and classroom space, biology labs, organic and general chemistry labs, Natural World labs, a 150-seat indoor amphitheater, and faculty offices integrated with lab space for better student-teacher accessibility.

Doyle Hall houses approximately 160 students on its upper three floors, with freshmen on one floor and sophomores, juniors and seniors on the other two. The hall is coed with single-gender floors.  The four-story residency wing connects to the University Chapel, the Center for Student Wellness, human resources offices,  and ROTC offices.  

Hickey Dining Hall offers a wide variety of dining options to students from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.  The Rathskeller, an on-campus club, is in the basement, and the Bona Wolf Den, a gourmet, wireless coffeehouse serving Starbucks products, opened in 2007.  In 2020 the Hickey Dining Hall underwent renovations where air conditioning was installed, and an upper mezzanine was added to the main dining room to allow for more modern type of seating options.

Mt. Irenaeus Retreat is located in the Allegheny hills 35 minutes from campus. Named after Fr. Irenaeus Herscher, O.F.M., beloved St. Bonaventure librarian, this Franciscan retreat offers “prayer and peaceful re-creation” to all in the community. More than 228 acres are used for hiking, cross-country skiing, residence hall programs and weekend retreats.

Housing

Limited housing on campus is available for single graduate students in Francis Hall on the St. Bonaventure University campus only.  In addition, there are numerous living opportunities in the surrounding community. For information call the Housing Office at (716) 375-2009.

Graduate Societies

Alpha Mu Alpha

National Honor Society in Marketing.  This society honors outstanding men and women for scholastic excellence in the field of marketing.

Beta Gamma Sigma

International Honor Society in Business Administration, honoring outstanding men and women for scholastic excellence in the field of business.

Chi Sigma Iota

National Honor Society in Counselor Education.  This society honors outstanding men and women for scholastic excellence in the field of counselor education.

Phi Delta Kappa

Graduate fraternity in Education.  Major purposes of Phi Delta Kappa include promotion and improvement of education through a continuing interpretation of the ideals of research, service and high-quality leadership.

Pi Lambda Theta

International Honor Society and Professional Association in Education.